Eager to reduce the weight burden for dismounted troops, Pentagon researchers and others are working on new body armor that is expected to be lighter than legacy systems, without sacrificing survivability.

Ground troops sometimes carry upwards of 90 pounds of gear, according to a recent report by the Center for a New American Security titled, “The Soldier’s Heavy Load.” Much of that stems from personal protective equipment.

“Armor is not solely a function of protection. Armor is also a function of being able to move under that protection,” Brig. Gen. David Hodne, director of the Army’s soldier lethality cross-functional team, said at a convention in October. “A soldier who can’t move, a soldier who can’t shoot … is not as lethal as the soldier who can move freely on the battlefield.”

To get at the problem, the service is in the process of replacing its legacy equipment with a new soldier protection system.

“The Soldier Protection System is modular, scalable and replaces multiple current systems,” Lt. Col. Ginger Whitehead, product manager for soldier protective equipment at program executive office soldier, told National Defense in a written response to questions.

“The SPS improves the level of mobility, form, fit and function for male and female soldiers and provides a significant reduction in weight” while enhancing protection, she added.

Login

DTIC Thesaurus Update

Tag With Confidence, Search With Confidence

As technologies emerge and evolve, terminology does too. The DTIC Thesaurus is the authority for the best terms for describing technical reports in DTIC’s collection. When documents are tagged accurately and comprehensively, searches are more effective and efficient.

Help keep the DTIC Thesaurus current and precise by crowdsourcing revisions. Select your areas of expertise and let DTIC know what new terms to add or updates to make.